Chapter 3

Sophia's mother, Cynthia Burke, arrived at the hospital that afternoon.

The moment she walked into the room, she tossed her purse onto a chair and spoke with a tone of familiar reproach.

"Conrad, your father being hospitalized is huge news. Why didn't you let us know sooner?"

I was gently wiping Dad's fingers with a damp towel. "I did."

Cynthia froze for a second, but she quickly recovered with a smile. "Well, Sophia has a demanding career, so you need to be more understanding. With a position like hers, she has a ton of patients counting on her to help them."

I didn't respond.

Dad lay in his bed, a hint of guilt flickering in his eyes. "Cynthia, I'm sorry for causing you all this trouble."

Cynthia waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, don't say that. We're family."

With that said, she reached into her bag and pulled out a booklet of wedding invitation samples.

"By the way, I had someone redesign the invitations. That dusty blue you picked before was just too drab and depressing for a wedding. Luckily, Harrison has an incredible eye for design, so he helped pick out a gold-foil version instead."

My hands went completely still against Dad's fingertips. "Harrison's picking out our wedding invitations?"

Cynthia gave a matter-of-fact nod. "Of course. He grew up right alongside Sophia, so he knows exactly what she likes."

I looked at the golden sample invitation. Embossed across the front cover was a line of text, "Till death do us part."

The irony wasn't lost on me.

"I also took a look at the seating arrangements for the reception," Cynthia continued. "Since Harrison's health is so fragile, I'm having him sit right next to the head table. That way, it'll be easier for Sophia to keep an eye on him during the reception."

I snapped my head up. "She has to look after him on our wedding day, too?"

Cynthia's expression faltered. "Conrad, you're a grown man. Stop being so insecure. Harrison's parents have passed, so what's wrong with Sophia giving him a little extra attention? You're going to be her husband. You need to learn how to handle things like a man."

Dad let out a faint cough from the bed. "Conrad, she's just trying to help with the wedding."

I dropped the towel back into the washbasin, causing the water to slosh against the sides. "Mrs. Wilson, let's put the wedding on hold."

The room fell dead silent.

Cynthia's smile stiffened. "What did you just say?"

"Given my dad's condition, my mind isn't on a wedding."

Her brows knitted tightly together.

"Your father has caregivers to look after him. You can't let this derail plans that involve both of our families. The venue, the caterers, and the press are already locked in. Calling it off at the last second would look absolutely ridiculous!"

She dropped her voice to a whisper. "Besides, think about Sophia's reputation. People in Greenley talk, and they love a scandal. If you pull a stunt like this, you're going to humiliate her."

I looked at her. "My dad almost died, yet she was busy taking care of Harrison."

Cynthia's face hardened. "Oh, for heaven's sake, stop keeping score. She made it here eventually, didn't she?"

Eventually…

Everyone loved using that word. It was always about how she showed up eventually, how she made it up to me eventually, and how she apologized eventually.

But on that long night outside the operating room, I was on my own.

The sound of footsteps echoed from outside.

Sophia pushed the door open, her gaze sweeping past the two of us. "What's going on?"

Cynthia wasted no time pointing a finger at me. "Ask your fiance. Apparently, he wants to call off the wedding."

Sophia looked at me, her face unreadable. "Conrad, step outside with me."

Once we were out in the hallway, she shut the door behind us.

"We can't call off the wedding."

Those were the first words out of her mouth, and she didn't even care to ask why I had said it.

I leaned back against the wall and kept my voice low. "My dad needs someone here."

"I'll hire the best caregiver money can buy."

"He needs his son."

Sophia rubbed the bridge of her nose. "You shouldn't be making decisions when you're this emotional."

A sudden wave of exhaustion washed over me. "Sophia, stop treating me like one of your patients."

She caught herself, her movement freezing.

"You don't get to diagnose me," I continued quietly. "I don't need you to manage me either."

Looking at me, she lowered her voice. "Conrad, I know I handled things poorly the other night. But a wedding isn't a game, and you can't just throw our entire future away over a single slip-up."

A single slip-up?

My eyes drifted down to the silver watch on her wrist. I had given it to her for her birthday last year.

She had always told me that she couldn't wear anything flashy in the operating room, so I picked the most understated, minimalist design I could find.

Harrison had randomly complimented it once, and she hadn't taken it off a single day since.

"If Harrison has another emergency on our wedding day, will you leave me at the altar?" I asked.

Sophia didn't say a word, yet her silence told me everything I needed to know.

A bitter smile touched my lips. "See? You can't even be bothered to lie to me."

Her expression shifted slightly. "Conrad, don't say something you're going to regret."

Just then, the door to the ward area cracked open.

Harrison stood in the doorway, clutching the sample wedding invitation. "Sophia, your mom asked me to help look over the wedding vows. Did I make Conrad mad at me again?"

Sophia glanced at him, her voice dropping into a gentle, soothing murmur. "No, you didn't do anything wrong. Head inside."

Looking down, I tried to twist the ring on my left hand, but the band caught hard against my knuckle, sending a slight ache through my finger.

Sophia reached out, intending to gently massage my hand, but I instinctively pulled away from her touch.

Her hand froze in midair.

Watching the exchange, Harrison lowered his eyes to the floor. "Maybe I should just leave."

Sophia pulled her hand back, turning around to steady Harrison. "Don't wander off."

I stood frozen, watching them walk back into the room side by side.

Just before the door clicked shut, I caught the sound of Cynthia letting out a long sigh. "You're much more mature than he is, Harrison."

Looking down at my hand, I let my gaze fall on the ring that had finally loosened around my finger.

It slipped free and dropped silently into the palm of my hand, making so little noise that nobody even turned around.